Reflections

The main reason to get to Vang Vieng is to enjoy the outstanding scenery. Unfortunately, the place has lost the charm that probably had in the past, for the atmosphere has been spoiled by some people who pretend to call themselves "backpackers". When I arrived I could hardly believe to my eyes: they managed to transform a peaceful Lao riverside village into a "beach resort" with loud music, girls in bikini and screaming boys playing with their stupid tubes in the river. But the apex was reached at (what, according to my guidebook, was supposed to be) a popular cave hidden among limestones. The scene going on in front of my eyes was astonishing: beach-music, half-naked young women, beach-boys swimming in a pond and trying to emulate "Tarzan" with a rope hanging from a tree,  finally splashing in the water. Now I would like to know, for god's sake, why these people has to go to Laos to do such stupid things?  They can do them for less money in other places, without ruining the scenery and offending the sensibility of the local people and more serious travellers. If you want to visit Laos, hurry up, because it is already becoming a second Thailand.

Now Vang Vieng is a backpacker's ghetto, full of the same copycat stuff you can find anywhere in the world. Guesthouses, the same pseudo-Italian-Indian-whatever backpackers restaurants, complete with free movie shows every night, parties, and so on. No character, no atmosphere. Only "development" at all costs. Why transform a rural Lao village in the middle of nowhere into this?

The funny, or tragic, part of ther story is that Vang Vieng is set in a region of villages inhabited by proud ethnic minorities that have been engaged in a war against the government for decades. And still at the time of writing, 30 km away, along the unfamous route 13, fatal armed attacks against public buses were regularly reported.

Now, there is still some secret beauty in Vang Vieng.

The journey by car or bus from Luang Phrabang is well worth the trip in itself. The panorama along the route is highly spectacular, one of the finest I have ever seen. It's at some points pure mountainous and carsic grandeur. And moreover, it is absolutely non-touristic. You can really get a glance of mountain-Lao life, passing through several villages.

As you arrive in Vang Viang, you'll notice alll around high karst-formations, a panorama of dramatic beauty. The best way to enjoy it is to hire a bycicle. There are a few marked trails that lead you to a plethora of caves, a few of which are well worth a visit.

The more far you go, the wilder the environment - and the people. It is important, however, to exercise caution, follow the marked tracks and not venture too far north- it's still a bandit land, though usually there are no problems. Nothing bad will happen as long as you don't put yourself into a risky situation.

You'll probably come across some local farmers and women coming from the mountains, dressed in colourful traditional clothes. They seem to be not very well accustomed to tourists (this confirm my hypothesis: most of the "backapckers" mentioned above don'venture much far out of their "beach resort"). I've seen several young boys who, instead of cheer at you and say Hello! like in other parts of Laos, stared at me like if I was an alien. Or maybe that has to do with the fact that this is still a very poor and problematic part of the country and people have other things to think about rather than welcoming foreigners.